2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

This Godzilla likes to smash lap records.

When we asked Nissan for a GT-R, they sent us a 2013 model with 15 more horsepower and 15 lb.-ft. more torque than the last one we tested (May 2011). It's still stomping fast; an earlier model lapped the Ring in 7.24:22, some 17 seconds faster than the ZL1. Also, our chilly test conditions in Arizona suited the GT-R perfectly. Its ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system makes the most of available traction, and the thin air at 4000 ft. of elevation has less effect on the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-6.

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2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

At the track, the GT-R hit higher speeds at every opportunity, thanks mostly to the tight gearing of the twin-clutch transaxle that ratcheted off shifts with race car precision. In a full lap of Inde, the GT-R will use 2nd through 5th gear while the ZL1, with its Tremec TR6060 manual, was optimally rowed between 3rd and 4th with only one opportunity to use 2nd. This necessitated a reliance on low-end torque in the ZL1, while the GT-R kept its overworked V-6 screaming like an industrial Hoover vacuum cleaner choking on a cat.

2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

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As in the ZL1, the GT-R would struggle to put down power if it wasn't for a bit of mechanical and electrical wizardry. All-wheel drive helps the GT-R most, but its R mode settings for the transmission, center differential, stability control and Bilstein DampTronic shocks make the GT-R seemingly defy physics. The car is so well-controlled that oversteer is never feared; instead, it can be induced to help the car get around a corner like a rally car in the dirt. It is a point-and-shoot car, and getting it around a corner smoothly is a challenge.

2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

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Unlike the ZL1, which necessitates a gentle steering input to track properly around a tight corner, the GT-R can be thrown in with the expectation it will not over-rotate. As soon as the rotation lines up with the proper exit trajectory, lay into the throttle and let the intelligent all-wheel drive yank the car out of the hole. Most of the time there isn't enough rotation, and time is wasted with the GT-R's low-speed understeer.

2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

There is a massive difference in feel between the seating positions of the GT-R and ZL1. Where the ZL1 gives you that bunkered-in feel of all modern Camaros, the GT-R is like a race car with a center-mounted tachometer, small steering wheel, large shift paddles and a variety of wheel-mounted buttons. In contrast, the ZL1's gauges are conventional, but with a new head-up display that features shift lights. I found the GT-R seats to be more supportive than the ZL1's well-bolstered buckets, but there's far less interior volume in the GT-R. Its rear seats are about as useful as those in a Porsche 911.

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2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

The sounds that the two cars make are magnificent, but in completely different ways. The ZL1 grunts and snorts out of a corner, as you'd expect of an American pony car. Godzilla, on the other hand, whines, rattles, sucks and whooshes loudly, particularly when it blasts by on the pit straight. Clearly, lots of air goes through that twin-turbo V-6.

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2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

The GT-R is not optimized for on-road comfort. A section of cobblestone roadway near the top of Mt. Lemmon caused the ZL1 to vibrate slightly, whereas the GT-R tried to fling your head into the roof. It's also much louder inside, thanks to driveline whine and a fair amount of gear rattle at idle.

2013 Nissan GT-R Premium

All told, says Managing Editor Andy Bornhop, "the GT-R is an impressive piece of technical hardware that makes average drivers much faster than they probably should be...it's a car for Gran Turismo gamers, for sure. And even though it's about $40,000 more than the ZL1, it's still a bargain supercar." And while we both agreed that the quintessentially American ZL1 was the preferred ride back to our California office, the GT-R would be our choice for trying to set a fast lap on an unfamiliar racetrack. After all, this Godzilla likes to smash lap records, not towns...

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